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Advanced Planning and Scheduling

The term Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) encompasses a wide variety of software tools and techniques, with many applications in manufacturing and logistics (including the service sector).

APS systems are decision support tools for planning and scheduling that use computer-based optimization.

Why use Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS)?

For planners, APS systems quickly analyse the implications of alternative decisions, highlight consequences and problems, and generate optimal or near-optimal plans and schedules.

APS systems provide better information (and recommendations) on which planners and managers can base their decisions. They are tools and techniques to help manage complexity. Fast-moving environments with large numbers of items, orders, machines and people are difficult to plan effectively, as are environments with complex constraints. In such industries (High tech, CPG, Third party logistics, and capacity constrained industries such as Process manufacturing) APS provides significant assistance.

How to benefit from Advanced Planning and Scheduling systems?

APS incorporate some form of computerised optimisation, using one or more mathematical algorithms. They can operate on individual transactions e.g. customer orders without the batching characteristic of MRP. In manufacturing, APS provides a method of concurrent synchronisation of material and capacity with customer orders.

APS systems are not transactional systems. They prepare plans and schedules but then need to be linked to a transactional system like ERP to manage the execution of the plan or schedule.

APS systems can be stand- alone systems or part of suites of systems (“enterprise solutions”), especially in larger organisations. Data interfaces are required to automatically receive input data and send results to other systems.

Many APS tools and techniques focus on a part of the supply chain, and some can cover all aspects. This includes areas such as:

Supply chain planning

Demand management and sales forecasting

Factory planning and scheduling

Inventory planning

Transportation planning

Product lifecycle management

Electronic procurement

Inter-enterprise and intra-enterprise collaboration

Strategic planning

What are the results of using Advanced Planning and Scheduling systems?

Professional Advanced Planning and Scheduling systems provide visibility of and compute plans and schedules for multiple simultaneous variables and constraints (e.g. materials, resources, demands), permitting them to generate plans that are optimised for multiple criteria (e.g. profitability, service, inventory level).

Why contact ORTEC?

ORTEC is one of the world leading companies in Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS). ORTEC delivers various APS-solutions like supply chain, inventory and transportation planning, including also the integration between these solution, i.e., combining inventory and transportation optimization. These solutions are also integrated in a large number of ERP-systems and fully embedded within SAP, where ORTEC is partnering with. Strong customer case stories are available, like from Coca-Cola, P&G and Shell.